Spring-power motor.



A. CLRUTZEN.

SPRING POWER MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6. 1914.

-1,178,91;9.- Patented Apr. 11,1916.

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#775 v INVENTOR 14.6. RuTzE/v BY' flrr'vs.

' THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH 60., WASHINGTON, n. C. 4

" A. c. RUTZEN.

SPRING POWER MOTOR.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 6, m4.

1,178,949. I PafentedApr. 11,1916 I s sflEns -suzn 2.

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INVENTUR.

A. HUT- EN THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0., WASHINGTON, D c.

Patented Apr. 11; 1916.

5 SHEETS-SHEET 3A Fig.3

THE COLUMBIA PLMjOGRAPn (50.. WASHINGTON, D, c.

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AUGUST C. RUTZEN, 0F CLEVELAND, OHIO.

SPRING-POWER MOTOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

' Patented. Apr. 11, 1916.

' Application-filed July 6, 1914. Serial No. 849,231.

To all whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, AUGUST O; RUTZEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cleveland, in the county of Cuyahoga and State of Ohio, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in- Spring-Power Motors, of which the following is a specifi corresponding substantially to 00-00, Fig. 4.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation on line y y,

Fig. 4, looking to the right. Fig. 3 is a sectional'elevation on line 3 3, Fig. 4 look- 7 ing inward. Fig. 4 is a central sectional elevation on the line of the'mainshaft, and

Fig. 5 is a horizontal plan view on the' line of the main shaft. Figs.6 and 7 are details 'of-the spring in difierent coiled conditions.

'The complete casing or frame of the motor comprises not only the outershell G and the base B on which it is erected but also the interior portions which helpto carry the working parts and as indicated by b and 1), shown as integral with thebase B, and a separate standard or support cbolted-to the said base. The casing G is designed to provide a perfect closure for the contained mechanism, and it is desirableto make the inclosure dust proof.

S represents the power shaft, and "the power is delivered thereto from the series of power springs 2, arranged in acircleabout said shaft and geared to the shaft through a series of gear wheels 3, mounted upon the shafts s which also carry the said spring in housing It thereon and to whichhousing the said springs are attached at one end while the other ends are affiXed to the hubs of the ratchet disks (Z sleeved on the shafts sand engaged by the pawls 7 Eight different springmotor shafts s and the complementary parts therewith as just described are provided in this machine and supported at their ends in anti-friction bearings in the portions 7) and a of the main frame, which also constitute supports for the shaft S. Thesaid shafts s are positioned in a circle about shaft S and parallel therewith, and each shaft 5 carries two springs, 2,

and associate parts, and the housings of said sprlngs are fixed on the shafts 8 while the ratchet disks d are loose thereon and are adapted to be rotated to wind up the springs, as will presently appear. The gear 31s splined on the inner end of shaft sand operates through a transmitting gear 5,

upon secondary gear or idler 6 and thence with pinion 8 on said central power shaft S. i

That is, the powerdeveloped by the springs is delivered from all said springs to shaft S through the gears 3, 5, 6, and 8, and the gears 5 are so disposed in the system that each one serves two sets of springs, while the idler or intermediate gear 6 transmits the power from four sets'of springs or eight springs altogether'to the shaft S. This concentrates the delivery of the spring power upon opposite sides of thepinion 8, and the only wealmess of this arrangement is the dangerof stripping the'cogs on said pinion.

If this danger shouldbecome serious it can be overcome byjincreasing thenumber of idlers 6 from two to four.

The re-winding of thesprings is mechanical and automatic and proceeds from spring to spring successively in rotation, as wlll presently appear. Thus, a master gear G is fixed on shaftv S and meshes with a pinion g on a short shaft "10 carrying a gear wheel 12 on its other-end.- The said gear wheel meshes with a pinion 13 on shaft 14 supported on standard I) and having a gear wheel 15 .mountedon the inner end thereof.

T represents a flywheel having a hub loosely mounted on shaft S and carrying a pinion 161 in mesh'with gear 15.

The *foregoingmechanism runs continually 'wliile the machine .is in operation and is geared up to the fly wheel or balance wheel in order that the momentum of said wheel may be utilized to the utmost extent possible forre-winding the-springs, and the expenditure of energy in shaft S for this purposekept down to the minimum. In this connection it will be noticed that the fly wheel is run on anti-friction bearings on shaft S and is not directly connected with said shaft. It will also benoticed that opsaid shaft is only indirect and remote through a number of. gears and shaftswhich at last reach back to'the master ,gear'G, and thatthe actual re-wlndlngmechanism enters into these gear connections atthe gear .15

'erative connection of the said wheel with is next to thsfiy wheel'by'its pinion i sition to engage the ratchet disk next in 16. This brings the re-winding as near as possible to the momentum of said fly wheel and as remote as possible fro-m the shaft S.-

The said re-winding mechanism after leaving said gears, begins with a connecting rod 20 engaged on an eccentrically disposed crank pin 21 on gear wheel 15 and which in a sense converts the said wheel into a crank wheel; a ratchet wheel R mounted 011 a shaft 22 which runs back to the rear portion of the machine and carries a pinion 23 meshing with the re-winding gear 24, Figs. 1 and 5, and a lever or arm 25 mounted to oscillate on shaft 22 and having the outer end of connecting rod 20 connected therewith. Said lever has a series of holes to adjust theposi tion of the rod 20 thereon, according to the length of throw wanted for the time in the said lever and which throw determines the rewinding coil of the power springs. A pawl 26 on said lever engages the ratchet wheel R, and when the said lever is drawn forward the said wheel R and the shaft 22 are rotated correspondinglyJ This constitutes a positive forward movement during which the re-winding occurs. On the return stroke of said lever the parts are idle and thus an intermittent movement is provided for the said spring rewinding mechanism.

Rotation is imparted to shaft-22 through the said ratchet mechanism and lever 25, and a corresponding rotation is imparted to the re-Winding wheel 24: through pinion 23 on said shaft. The said wheel has ratchet segments 26 and 27, respectively, on oppo site sides and in successive relations, and

these engage the ratchet or toothed disks d which are fixed upon the outside of the disks d, Fig. 5. Each power spring 2 has its own ratchet disks d and d, which rotate together when engaged by the ratchet segments on wheel 2%, and the arrangement of said segments is such that first one spring on a given shaft 8 is wound and then the other. For example, the primary ratchet mechanism R and lever 25 will cause the re winding wheel 24 to rotate say the full length of one of its ratchet segments and then stop. This will wind up the power spring then under engagement. After a very brief interval the said wheel will be carried forward the length of another segment and the other spring on the. same shaft will be rewound. As this occurs the advance segment on the near side is carried forward into poorder on the next succeeding shaft 8 and wind the spring it controls, and so on from set to set of springs and continuously over and over again while the machine runs. The pawls 7 011 disks d catch and hold the tension of the re-winding.

Respecting the operation ofthe machine herein described, it should be understood that I do not claim that the machine Will that the machine will do useful work for a longer or shorter period, subject to conditions, and that by the kind of springs and their disposition. in the machine and the rewinding mechanism substantially as described, the duration of operation is mate- 7 rially prolonged over what would be possible with the same springs without such rewinding mechanism.

What I claim is:

1. In spring motors, a series of coiled springs arrangedin a circle and means to rewind'said springs comprising a shaft and a wheel thereon adapted to be rotated uniform distances at predetermined intervals, a projectionvon said wheel, ratchet mechanism governing the rotation of said wheel and ratchet mechanism connected with each of said springs .adapted to be engaged by said wheel successively,

2. In spring motors, a series of coiled springs arranged in pairs on a single shaft about a common center and each spring having a rewinding mechanism, a shaft and a wheel thereon adapted to engage said rewinding mechanism successively, and ratchet mechanism adapted to impart intermittent rotation to said shaft and wheel.

3. In spring: motors, a series of coiled power springs disposed about a common housings rotatable on said shaft having one end of said springs fixed on the hub thereof and a ratchet disk for each housing having the other end of said springs aflixed thereto, actuating disks fixed on the sides of said ratchet disks respectively anda wheel having means on its sides constructed to engage and rotate said actuating disks in each pair of sprmgs successively.-

6. The construction described comprising a main shaft and a series of power springs in a circle about the same and in power connection therewith, in combination with a fly wheel rotatably mounted on said main shaft and intermittently operating means to rewind said springs operatively connected with said fly Wheel.

. in a circle about the same and in power connection therewith, a fly Wheel loosely mounted on said main shaft and a master gear fixed on said shaft, drive mechanism connecting said master gear operatively with said fly wheel, and means to rewind said springs operatively connected with said fly wheel and comprising a rewinding'wheel adapted to come into rewinding relations intermittently.

8. In spring motors, a series of coiled springs concentrically arranged in pairs, a single shaft on which each pair of springs is separately rotatable, a ratchet mechanism on each spring and a wheel provided with segments to engage said ratchets and Wind the springs, in combination with a ratchet con trolled shaft and a pinion thereon engaging the said wheel, and means to rotate said shaft uniform distances at predetermined Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner or Patentsintervals, said means comprising a fly wheel in balancing relations therewith.

9. In spring motors a series of springs concentrically disposed inpairs and a central shaft, in combination with a series of gears to carry thepower from said springs to said shaft comprising a gear for each pair of springs and a single gear on said shaft, an intermediate gear meshed by two of said spring gears and an idler meshed by said intermediate gears and in mesh with the gear on the said shaft, whereby eight different springs convey their energy to said shaft through a single point of contact with the gear thereon.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

7 AUGUST 0. RUTZEN.

Witnesses:

F. J. FREER, R. B. Mosnn,

Washington, D. G. 

